﻿410 
  THE 
  ZOOLOGIST. 
  

  

  board 
  and 
  myself, 
  they 
  were 
  a 
  small 
  race 
  of 
  people, 
  possibly 
  little 
  

   over 
  five 
  feet 
  in 
  height, 
  and 
  very 
  different 
  to 
  the 
  tall 
  stalwart 
  

   Polynesians. 
  The 
  present 
  natives 
  on 
  the 
  island 
  knew 
  nothing 
  

   about 
  these 
  bones, 
  except 
  that 
  they 
  were 
  there 
  when 
  the 
  ranchers 
  

   arrived. 
  In 
  the 
  crater 
  of 
  Rana 
  Kao, 
  the 
  highest 
  point 
  of 
  which 
  

   is 
  1200 
  ft. 
  above 
  the 
  sea, 
  are 
  several 
  caves, 
  in 
  each 
  of 
  which 
  

   there 
  are 
  curious 
  carvings, 
  which 
  were 
  described 
  to 
  me 
  by 
  some 
  

   of 
  our 
  party 
  (I 
  did 
  not 
  have 
  time 
  to 
  see 
  them 
  myself, 
  as 
  we 
  were 
  

   only 
  eight 
  hours 
  on 
  shore) 
  as 
  resembling 
  mermaids, 
  or 
  figures 
  

   like 
  mermaids, 
  and 
  the 
  " 
  rising 
  sun." 
  We 
  were 
  also 
  told 
  that 
  

   there 
  was 
  some 
  writing 
  carved 
  on 
  both 
  wood 
  and 
  rock 
  on 
  the 
  

   island, 
  but 
  no 
  one 
  could 
  tell 
  us 
  where 
  it 
  was. 
  If 
  only 
  a 
  proper 
  

   investigation 
  could 
  be 
  made 
  of 
  Easter 
  Island 
  many 
  other 
  curious 
  

   things 
  would 
  be 
  sure 
  to 
  come 
  to 
  light, 
  and 
  help 
  us 
  to 
  understand 
  

   more 
  about 
  the 
  undoubtedly 
  clever 
  race 
  of 
  people 
  now 
  so 
  long 
  

   extinct, 
  who 
  formerly 
  lived 
  there. 
  After 
  all, 
  Easter 
  Island 
  is 
  

   not 
  so 
  difficult 
  to 
  get 
  to. 
  A 
  boat 
  visits 
  it 
  twice 
  a 
  year 
  from 
  

   Valparaiso. 
  Birds 
  are 
  very 
  scarce 
  on 
  Easter 
  Island. 
  There 
  is 
  

   one 
  land-bird,* 
  which 
  I 
  did 
  not 
  meet 
  with, 
  and 
  a 
  Tinamou 
  

   (Notkoprocta 
  perdicaria) 
  has 
  been 
  introduced 
  from 
  Chile. 
  In 
  the 
  

   crater 
  of 
  the 
  extinct 
  volcano 
  I 
  saw 
  a 
  few 
  White 
  Terns 
  (Gygis 
  

   Candida), 
  and 
  several 
  Geese, 
  some 
  black 
  with 
  a 
  white 
  patch 
  on 
  

   the 
  wing, 
  and 
  others 
  reddish 
  in 
  colour 
  ; 
  but 
  I 
  do 
  not 
  know 
  to 
  

   what 
  species 
  they 
  belong. 
  

  

  Easter 
  Island 
  is 
  almost 
  entirely 
  covered 
  with 
  grass, 
  there 
  

   being 
  no 
  trees 
  or 
  bushes 
  except 
  around 
  the 
  houses 
  at 
  the 
  settle- 
  

   ment. 
  At 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  our 
  visit 
  we 
  were 
  told 
  that 
  there 
  were 
  

   about 
  forty 
  thousand 
  Sheep 
  on 
  the 
  island, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  many 
  

   Horses 
  and 
  cattle. 
  

  

  On 
  March 
  22nd, 
  early 
  in 
  the 
  morning, 
  we 
  sighted 
  Pitcairn 
  

   Island, 
  the 
  home 
  of 
  the 
  descendants 
  of 
  the 
  mutineers 
  of 
  the 
  

   ' 
  Bounty.' 
  It 
  was 
  a 
  most 
  gorgeous 
  day, 
  and 
  a 
  sea 
  like 
  glass. 
  

   As 
  we 
  neared 
  the 
  island 
  a 
  few 
  Flying 
  Fishes 
  rose 
  under 
  our 
  

   bows, 
  while 
  every 
  now 
  and 
  then 
  a 
  Pted-tailed 
  Tropic 
  Bird 
  

   {Phacthon 
  rubricauda) 
  flew 
  past 
  us. 
  We 
  anchored 
  in 
  Bounty 
  Bay, 
  

   close 
  to 
  the 
  settlement. 
  A 
  boat-load 
  of 
  the 
  islanders 
  at 
  once 
  

   put 
  off 
  to 
  us 
  with 
  fruit, 
  &c. 
  They 
  were 
  very 
  anxious 
  to 
  obtain 
  

   some 
  shot-cartridges 
  to 
  kill 
  some 
  of 
  their 
  fowls, 
  which 
  are 
  

   allowed 
  to 
  run 
  wild 
  over 
  the 
  island, 
  and 
  consequently 
  become 
  

  

  ' 
  Possibly 
  unknown 
  to 
  science. 
  

  

  